#14 Illini Host #11 Texas Tech Tuesday Night at State Farm Center – University of Illinois Athletics

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PROBABLE STARTERS (based on previous game)

Pos.
No.
Name
Ht.
Wt.
Yr.
PPG
RPG
APG
Note

G
4
Kylan Boswell
6-2
215
Sr.
20.5
7.5
4.0
Career-high 31 pts & 10 rebs vs. FGCU

G
23
Keaton Wagler
6-6
185
Fr.
20.0
6.5
3.5
40 combined points in first two college games

F
15
Jake Davis
6-6
215
Jr.
8.0
3.0
2.0
Hit three 3-pointers in season opener

F
0
David Mirkovic
6-9
250
Fr.
18.0
12.5
3.5
Inaugural Big Ten Freshman of the Week  

F/C
44
Zvonimir Ivisic
7-2
250
Jr.
10.0
9.0
1.0
7 blocks vs. FGCU, 2nd most in Illini history

OFF THE BENCH

Pos.
No.
Name
Ht.
Wt.
Yr.
PPG
RPG
APG
Note

G
1
Brandon Lee
6-4
195
Fr.
–
–
–
2,000-point scorer at The Patrick School

G
2
Andrej Stojakovic
6-7
215
Jr.
9.0
5.0
3.0
Erving Award & Naismith Trophy watch lists

F
3
Ben Humrichous
6-9
235
Gr.
15.0
5.0
2.0
21 points with five 3-pointers in opener

G
5
AJ Redd
6-3
170
Sr.
2.5
0.5
0.0
Former team manager

G
8
Blake Fagbemi
6-0
180
Fr.
1.0
2.0
1.5
2 pts, 3 rebs, 2 ast in college debut

C
13
Tomislav Ivisic
7-1
255
Jr.
21.0
4.0
0.0
Abdul-Jabbar Award & Naismith Trophy watch lists

G/F
20
Ty Rodgers
6-6
210
r-Jr.
–
–
–
Out indefinitely following knee surgery

C
31
Jason Jakstys
6-10
225
r-Fr.
3.0
5.0
2.0
9 rebounds in Illini debut vs. Jackson St.

G
77
Mihailo Petrovic
6-2
180
So.
–
–
–
Played for Mega Superbet in Adriatic League

Head Coach Brad Underwood

Career Record: 276-128 (.683), 13th year
At Illinois: 167-101 (.623), 9th year
Big Ten: 92-66 (.580)

Series History vs. Texas Tech

All-Time Record: First meeting
Record in Champaign: First Meeting
Underwood vs. Texas Tech at Illinois / All-Time: 0-0 / 2-0

OPENING TIPS

• No. 14 Illinois hosts the third contest of a four-game, season-opening homestand on Tuesday night, welcoming No. 11 Texas Tech to State Farm Center (7:30 p.m. CT / FS1). Illinois carries a four-game home winning streak.
• The Fighting Illini are off to a 2-0 start to their 121st season of men’s basketball with blowout wins over Jackson State (113-55) and Florida Gulf Coast (113-70). Illinois is looking to start 3-0 for the fifth time under Brad Underwood, and the third time in the last four seasons.
• In facing No. 11 Texas Tech, Illinois is in search of its highest ranked win since a 109-77 victory at No. 9 Oregon last season (Jan. 2, 2025). Illinois is aiming for its highest ranked home win, meanwhile, since beating No. 11 Wisconsin, 80-67, at State Farm Center on Feb. 2, 2022.  
• Illinois moved up three spots this week to No. 14 in the AP Top 25 and remain at 14 in the Coaches poll. The Illini have been ranked in the AP Top 25 in each of the last seven seasons under Brad Underwood. 
• Illinois has moved up to No. 3 in the kenpom rankings. The Illini entered the season at No. 6 and have finished 35th or better each of the last six years under Brad Underwood with a high of No. 4 (2020-21). Illinois has posted back-to-back top-20 rankings, finishing 10th in 2023-24 and 17th in 2024-25.
• Forward David Mirkovic was named Monday as the Big Ten Freshman of the Week after back-to-back double-doubles to open his college career against Jackson State (19 points, 14 rebounds) and Florida Gulf Coast (18 points, 11 rebounds) while becoming the first Illini freshman to record a double-double in his college debut since Kofi Cockburn in 2019. Mirkovic averaged 18.0 points, 12.5 rebounds and 2.5 assists on the week.
• Senior Kylan Boswell enters Tuesday’s game 21 points shy of reaching 1,000 for his career (979). 
• Expectations are high once again in Champaign, with the Illini returning three starters from last year’s team that won 22 games, advanced to the NCAA Round of 32, and finished the year ranked 17th in kenpom.
• Illinois is the winningest team in Big Ten play since 2019-20, with 81 league wins over the previous six seasons, tied with Purdue. During that stretch, the Illini lead the conference with 34 road wins in league play. When including the conference tournament, Illinois is also tied with Purdue for the most total wins against B1G opponents over this span with 88. 

Illinois vs. Texas Tech

• Tuesday’s contest is the first-ever matchup between the Fighting Illini and the Red Raiders.
• Brad Underwood is 2-0 all-time vs. Texas Tech, having led Oklahoma State to a regular-season sweep of TTU in 2016-17, his lone season in Stillwater.
•  Illinois is 57-33 (.633) all-time against the current 16-team membership of the Big 12 Conference, including a 21-4 (.840) mark when hosting Big 12 programs at State Farm Center.  

Taking on the Top

• Illinois has 27 victories over ranked opponents since the start of the 2019-20 season, another highlight of the job Brad Underwood has done rebuilding the Fighting Illini program.
• The Illini’s 27 ranked wins since 2019-20 are tied for ninth nationally over the last six-plus seasons.
• The Illini have recorded 13 wins against top 10-ranked opponents during that same span, tied for the third-most in the nation over the last seven seasons
• Five of the Illini’s ranked wins have been over top-5 opponents, tied for sixth-most in the nation over the last seven seasons. 

MIRKOVIC DOUBLE-DOUBLES

• Fighting Illini freshman F David Mirkovic – the reigning Big Ten Freshman of the Week – has impressed through two games to begin his college career, posting back-to-back double-doubles with 19 points and 14 rebounds vs. Jackson State, and 17 points and 11 boards vs. Florida Gulf Coast. 
• Mirkovic became the first Illinois true freshman since Kofi Cockburn in 2019 to post a double-double in the Illini’s season-opener. 
• Entering Tuesday’s game vs. #10 Texas Tech, Mirkovic’s pair of double-doubles are tied for the national lead. He joins Mouhamed Sylla of Georgia Tech as the only freshman on the list. 
• Mirkovic also ranks second nationally in defensive rebounds per game (10.5) and 10th in total rebounds per game (12.5). 

Wagler’s strong start

• Fighting Illini freshman G Keaton Wagler is one of two true freshmen to start each of the Illini’s first two games – joining David Mirkovic – and has excelled in nearly all phases of the game to begin his college career. 
• Wagler enter Tuesday’s game vs. #11 Texas Tech as the Illini’s No. 2 scorer at 20.5 points per game – just one total point behind Kylan Boswell for the team lead. Wagler scored 18 in his debut vs. Jackson State before notching the first 20-point game of his career vs. FGCU (22 points).  
• In addition to shooting a team-best 65% (11-17) from the field and 60% (3-5) from 3-point range through two games, Wagler has been particularly adept at getting to the free-throw line and leads the Illini in free-throws made (15) and attempted (17), and ranks second in free-throw percentage (.882). 
• Wagler also ranks first on the team averaging 4.0 offensive rebounds per game, and is second on the team behind Kylan Boswell assists per game (3.5) and assist-to-turnover (2.33). 

Highlighting Illinois’ strength of schedule

• Illinois head coach Brad Underwood believes in putting together a rigorous schedule to prepare for Big Ten play, and that has resulted in the Fighting Illini annually competing against some of the nation’s strongest schedules over the last eight seasons. 
• Since leading the Fighting Illini against kenpom’s No. 58 schedule in his first season in 2018, Underwood and the Illini have faced top-25 slates in six of the last seven season:
  » No. 58 in 2017-18
  » No. 13 in 2018-19
  » No. 25 in 2019-20
  » No. 5 in 2020-21
  » No. 17 in 2021-22
  » No. 36 in 2022-23
  » No. 17 in 2023-24
  » No. 4 in 2024-25
• The 2025-26 season will be another tough test for the Illini. The Big Ten schedule will include eight league games against teams that participated in the 2025 NCAA Tournament and five contests against teams in the preseason AP Top 25.
• The Illini will also compete in several early-season matchups against power conference opponents during the team’s non-conference slate. 
  » Nov. 11 vs. #11 Texas Tech
  » Nov. 19 vs. #8 Alabama (Chicago, Ill.)
  » Nov. 28 vs. #3 UConn (New York, N.Y.)
  » Dec. 6 vs. #20 Tennessee (Nashville, Tenn.)
  » Dec. 22 vs. Missouri (St. Louis, Mo.)
• All five marquee non-conference opponents are coming off of NCAA Tournament runs, with Alabama (East / 2 Seed), Tennessee (Midwest / 2 Seed), and Texas Tech (West / 3 Seed) all making Elite 8 runs. UConn (West / 8 Seed) and Missouri (West / 6 Seed) closed their seasons in the Round of 32 and Round of 64, respectively.